Jets' biggest bust for 2025 has already become painfully obvious

The New York Jets are betting big on Brandon Stephens in 2025. The Jets signed Stephens to a three-year, $36 million contract, one of only two multi-year deals they gave out this offseason, after letting incumbent starter D.J. Reed walk in free agency.

Despite his up-and-down tenure in Baltimore, the Jets are placing their trust in new head coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, both former NFL defensive backs, to help unlock Stephens’ potential where others have failed.

That makes this the first true heat check for the new Jets regime, and the early returns have been shaky. Stephens reportedly struggled at times throughout the spring, with familiar issues from his Ravens days already showing up in Florham Park.

It's still very early, and the hope is that Glenn and Wilks can help clean up his technique, but as things stand, the Jets are asking a lot, and there’s plenty left to prove for the former SMU standout.

Brandon Stephens signing is a heat check for the new Jets coaching staff

A third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 NFL Draft, Stephens began his college career at UCLA as a running back before transferring to SMU and switching to defense.

Even in Baltimore, he spent his rookie season playing safety before fully transitioning to outside cornerback in 2022 following the arrival of first-round pick and future All-Pro Kyle Hamilton.

Stephens has flashed intriguing traits but ultimately struggled with consistency. He started all 17 games for the Ravens last season and routinely found himself in tight coverage, yet he allowed one of the highest completion rates in the league.

The issue has been his ball skills. Stephens rarely gets his head around in time, which leads to a frustrating number of completions despite solid positioning.

His 2024 Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 49.6 ranked 110th out of 116 qualified cornerbacks, and his 54.0 overall grade was somehow the second-highest of his four-year career. No cornerback in the NFL has allowed more receptions than Stephens over the past two seasons.

The Jets believe they can fix that. With a defensive staff stacked with former NFL defensive backs — Glenn, Wilks, Chris Harris, and Dré Bly, to name a few — the hope is that Stephens can finally refine the finer details of the position. If he does, the athleticism and instincts are already there for him to be an excellent starting cornerback.

For now, though, he’s penciled in as the team’s No. 2 corner opposite Sauce Gardner, with promising third-round rookie Azareye’h Thomas waiting in the wings.

The Jets didn’t draft Thomas expecting him to start right away, but if Stephens struggles, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the rookie push for meaningful snaps by the end of 2025, or even take over entirely sometime in 2026.

The Jets clearly have high hopes for Stephens. They made him one of their few major investments this offseason and are trusting a new-look coaching staff to unlock his potential. But for all the faith the organization has shown, Stephens still has a lot to prove this season.

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